Tying machine



Nov. 17, 1964 w. T. FLANIGAN ETAL 3,157,109

TYING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 1%NTQRS:

ayhm W ATTORNEYS.

1964 w. T. FLANIGAN ETAL 3,157,109

TYING MACHINE Filed May 29. 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 1N VE TORS wM/ M ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 17, 1964 w. T. FLANIGAN ETAL 3,157,109

TYING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1961 {D 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 J za @111 \L \4 I I. L l 6 47 mi I 45' l .IH

@1 2 HEAD 8 TENSION RETRACT OFF OFF FEED GRIPPER TWISTER OFF TWIST LTER HEAD CYLIN REGULATOR ACTUATOR GRIP CYLINDE TENSION (.YLIN

BY M

ATTORNEYS 1964 w. T. FLANIGAN ETAL 3,157,109

TYINGMACHINE Filed May 29, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 13 HEADITENSION RETRACT FEED GRIPPER TWISTER 7 OFF OFF OFF TWIST ON ON cur 1 J 1 l J D J I TIMER C as 0 1 1 LINE/ 7 L 1 Y 1 1 F L2 86 .93 I HEADJETENSIONI RETRACT FEED GRIPPER TWISTER OFF OFF OFF TWIST ON ON ON CUT .4 J 1 TIMER INVENTORSJ 94 r r J J 2 WdlzqagaJ I m via! dfmdmzz l; 86 93-1.;

1 I 4 M gywmQ m LINE L2 ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,157,109 TYING MACHINE William Thomas Flanigan, Crawfordsville, and Robert William Smith, Darlington, Ind., assignors to Mid- States Steel & Wire Company, Crawfordsville, End, a

corporation of Indiana Filed May 29, 1961, Ser. No. 113,472 7 Claims. ((31. 100-26) This invention relates to tying machines and more particularly to apparatus for automatically wrapping lengths of Wire or strapping around articles and twisting the adjacent portions of the wire or strapping together.

Tying machines have heretofore been known in which a wire or strap is guided in a loop around an article or package, is drawn tightly therearound and secured together by twisting, welding or clipping and is then cut off from the wire supply. Such machines present a number of problems in connection with supplying the Wire or strapping uniformly and without requiring frequent starting and stopping of heavy supply spools, of tensioning and holding the wire or strapping while securing it around the article, of twisting the wire or strapping without creating slack therein and of cutting the wire. The principal object of the present invention is to provide a tying machine improved in these several respects over machines as heretofore known.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tying machine in which the wire is fed into a loop around the article and is retracted closely to embrace the article by reversing the feed wheel and an accumulator is provided between the feed wheel and the supply spool so that the spool need not be stopped and started in normal operation of the machine.

Still another object is to provide a tying machine in which the Wire is drawn closely around the article by the feed wheel and is then gripped and drawn up tightly by a separate tensioning device. In the preferred construction the tensioning device comprises a cam gripper operable by a linearly movable motor to grip the wire and then to move bodily to pull the wire up tight and hold it during twisting.

A further object is to provide a tying machine in which the twister head is movable into and out of overlapping portions of the wire which are twisted together. This feature greatly simplifies feeding and tensioning of the wire.

According to a feature of the invention, the twister head slides horizontally under the article to pick up overlapping portions of the wire and includes a slotted rotatable twister element to engage the wires and twist them together.

A still further object is to provide a tying machine in which the wire is cut closely adjacent to the twister head at the end of a twisting operation.

According to a feature of the invention, the twister element is driven through a one-way clutch by a reversible motor and the cutter is operated through a cam driven during reverse operation of the motor to cut the wire.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a tying machine in which an entire tying cycle is carried out automatically from start to completion.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a tying machine embodying the invention with parts in section;

FIGURE 2 is a partial section through the wire guide on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partial perspective view of the wire guide and feed wheel;

ice

FIGURE 4 is a partial elevation on the line 44 of FIGURE 3 showing the wire end clamp;

FIGURE 5 is a partial section on the line 5-5 of FIG- URE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 showing the clamp in engaged position;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation of the twister head with parts in section;

FIGURE 8 is a section on the broken line 8-8 of FIG- URE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a partial section on the line 99 of FIG- URE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view of the wire tensioning device;

FIGURE 11 is a view similar to FIGURE 10 showing the tensioning gripper in its gripping position;

FIGURE 12 is a diagram of the fluid control circuit, and

FIGURES l3 and 14 are diagrams of alternative electrical control circuits.

The machine, as shown in FIGURE 1, is adapted to tie articles, as indicated generally at 10 in dot-dash lines, by passing a wire or strap therearound and twisting the ends thereof together. While the wire employed for tying is preferably flattened, as shown at 11, in the nature of a relatively narrow strap, it will be understood that round wire, oval wire or wire of different configurations than that should could be employed. It is preferred, however, that the wire be flattened to some degree, however, since Wire of this type will pass more freely around the guide without tending to twist or tangle.

The machine comprises a bed or support 12 on which the article It) rests and which is supported at a convenient height above the floor by a lower frame or housing, indicated generally at 13. A wire guide loop, indicated generally at 14, is associated with the support 12 to define a guideway or passage for the wire completely around the article so that a wire passing through the guideway will encircle the article and overlap itself beneath the article. The Wire guide 14, as best seen in FIGURES 2 and 3, comprises spaced side plates 15 between which the wire passes with an arcuate guide strip 16 lying between the side plates and curved, as indicated by the dotted lines in FIGURE 3 and by full lines in FIGURE 1, to define a smooth pathway for the wire to follow.

The wire 11 is supplied from a conventional supply spool 17 which may be rotatably supported at one end of the base 13. The wire is drawn from the spool over a safety brake lever 18 which will arrest rotation of the spool in the event excessive slack develops and over an accumulator, as seen in FIGURE 1. The accumulator comprises spaced horizontal rods 19 on which rollers 21 are slidably supported. Springs 22 urge the respective rollers 21 in opposite directions and the wire is trained over the rollers, as shown, so that the action of the springs 22 will tend to take up any slack accumulating in the wire. The springs 22 are preferably relatively long low rate springs having sufficient strength merely to take up slack in the wire and to hold the safety brake lever 18 in its disengaged position without exerting any greater force on the Wire than is necessary.

From the upper roller 21 the wire passes through a looped guide member 23 and over the top of a rotatable feed roller 24. The wire is held against the feed roller 24 over an appreciable span of its circumference by small pressure rollers 25 carried by a pivoted frame 26 and urged against the feed roller by an adjustable spring 27. The pressure rollers 26 serve not only to hold the wire in good driving contact with the feed roller which may have a relatively soft surface, such as rubber, to grip the wire but also by bending the wire about the feed roller serve 3 as a wire straightener to remove any curvature from the wire.

From the feed roller the wire passes through a guide passage 28 in the support 12 and crosses a gap centrally of the support, which is described more fully hereinafter, and around the wire guide loop.

The end of the wire after traversing the loop enters a gripper, as best shown in FIGURES 4 to 6, and is guided to lie in a position parallel to and side-by-side with the run of the wire coming from the feed roller. The gripper comprises an upper gripper plate 29 having a downwardly projecting flange portion against which the end of the wire abuts so that it will be stopped thereby and an upper gripping surface formed with an upwardly extending notch 31. A plunger 32 is slidable vertically toward the notch and is given a shape complementary to the shape of the gripper block 2% so that when the wire is gripped, its extreme end portion will be bent upwardly to turn in toward the article so a raw wire edge will not be left projecting from the article. The plunger 32 is adapted to be moved up by a bell crank lever 33 pivoted intermediate its ends with one end underlying the plunger and urged downwardly by a spring 34. The other end of the bell crank lever is connected through a link 35 to the piston rod 36 of an air cylinder 37. When air is admitted to the rear end of the cylinder 37 through control valves, as described hereinafter, the plunger 32 will be moved upward to the position shown in FIGURE 6 to grip the end of the wire and to hold it securely against accidental withdrawal from the machine.

The feed roller 24 is driven by a reversible motor 38 which is preferably a fluid power rotary actuator turning in one direction when fluid is supplied to one end and in the opposite direction when fluid is supplied to the other end. The actuator 38 may be connected through a belt 39 to the feed roller 24 and is preferably mounted for limited rotation about its own axis. As shown, a spring 41 tends to urge the motor to turn in a clockwise direction against a fixed stop 42 against which the motor rests during normal feeding of the wire. Upon reverse rotation of the motor to take up slack in the wire, as described hereinafter, the spring 41 will hold the motor against the stop 42 until a predetermined tension of the wire is achieved at which time the motor will turn slightly counterclockwise to close a switch 43 forming a part of the control circuit for the machine.

After the wire has been drawn closely around the article by reverse operation of the drive roller 24, it is finally tensioned to the desired extent by a final tensioning unit shown in FIGURE 1 and in detail in FIGURES l and 11. The final tensioning unit comprises a block 44 slidable on a guide rod 45 parallel to the wire 11 between the guide 23 and the feed roller 24. As shown in FIG- URES l0 and 11, the block 45 is provided with a passage 46 for the wire in its upper part and carries a cam or eccentric 4'7 rotatably mounted below the wire. A yoke 48 spanning the block 44 is connected to the cam 4-7 to turn it. The block 44 normally occupies the position shown in FIGURE in which it is yieldingly held by a spring detent 49 and may be moved to the position shown in FIGURE 11 to tension the wire. For this purpose a fluid cylinder motor 51 is connected to the lower end of the yoke 48.

With the parts in the position shown in FIGURElO, the cam 47 is turned so that it does not grip the wire and the wire is free to slide through the passage 46. When the motor 51 is energized to move its piston to the right, it will first rock the yoke 48 counterclockwise due to the resistance to sliding of the yoke offered by the detent 4-9 so that the cam will be turned to the position shown in FIGURE 11 to grip the wire tightly. Further expansion of the motor will slide the block 44 bodily along the guide rod 4-5 to pull the wire up tightly about the article, the degree of tension exerted by the wire being controlled by regulating the pressure applied to the cylinder 51.

For twisting the wire, a twister head is provided, as shown in detail in FIGURES 7 to 9. The twister head comprises a head element 52 slidable on guideways 53 beneath the article and into and out of the gap in the support 12. The twister head has a forwardly projecting table portion 54 which normally lies in the gaps in the support 12 at the level at which the wire passes therethrough and on which the wire is supported during the feeding operation. At one end of the table portion 54, the head is provided with an upper finger 5S spaced from the table and defining a relatively narrow slot into which the side-by-side runs of the wire can fit.

The twister head 52 is preferably hollow, as best seen in FIGURE 8, and on its interior carries a rotatable slotted twister pinion 56. The pinion 56 is supported in split side bearings so that the slot therein is normally aligned with the slot defined between the table 54 and finger 55 so that when the twister head is moved toward the overlapping portions of the wire they will enter the slot in the twister pinion, as shown in FIGURES 7 to 9. The twister pinion meshes with a gear 5'7 carrying a detent plate 58 at one end yieldingly engaged by a detent plunger 59 in the side of the twister head. The detent plate and plunger are so positioned that they tend to hold the twister pinion with its slot aligned with the slot between the table portion 54 and finger 55 for free entry of the wire into and removal of the Wire from the twister pinion. The gear 57 meshes with a gear 61 which is rotatable on a cross shaft 62 in the twister head and is adapted to be drivingly connected thereto for rotation in one direction by a ratchet-type one-way clutch 63 normally urged into engagement by a spring 64. The shaft 62 extends completely through the twister head and carries a sprocket 65 at one side thereof which is connected through a sprocket chain 66 to a sprocket 67 driven by a reversible motor 68. The motor 68 is preferably of the same type as the motor 38 to rotate first in one direction and then in the other as actuating fluid is supplied first to one end and then to the other end thereof.

With the twister head in its normal or retracted position, the sprocket chain will be slack, as shown in dot-dash lines in FIGURE 7. When the twister head is moved toward the wire by a fluid motor 69", the sprocket chain will be tightened and when the motor is energized will turn the sprocket 65 and the shaft 62.

At the opposite side of the twister head, the shaft 62 carries a cam disc 71 which is fixed to the shaft to rotate therewith in both directions. A cam pawl 72 is pivoted in the cam disc 71 to project beyond the periphery thereof and is free to swing in one direction while being limited to a substantially radial position in its opposite direction by a stop pin 73. The cam 72 is adapted to engage one end of a lever '74 pivoted intermediate its ends on the twister head and with its opposite end engaging the lower end of a cutter plunger 75. The cutter plunger is guided for sliding movement along the side of the twister head to register with the run of wire between the feed roller and the twister head when the twister head is advanced to its twisting position. Thus, when the cam disc 71 is turned counterclockwise, as seen in FIGURE 7, by reverse rotation of the motor 68 the cam finger 72 will engage the lever 74 and rock it in a direction to raise the cutter plunger 75 so that it will cut the wire between itself and the lower adjacent edge of the finger 55. The several fluid motors, as described above, are connected in a fluid circuit, as shown in FIGURE 12. The circuit comprises a supply conduit 76 connected to a source of compressed air or other fluid through a regulator 77 and filter '78. A valve '79 communicates with the supply conduit and with opposite ends of the cylinder 69 for moving the head toward and away from the wire as well as with opposite ends of the cylinder 51 for operating the final tensioning device. A second valve is connected to one end of the rotary motor 38 which drives the feed roller 24- and will, when energized, cause the feed motor to run in a reverse direction to take up slack in the wire. A third valve 82 is connected to the opposite end of the feed motor 38 and functions when open to cause the feed motor to drive the feed roller 24 in the forward direction. A fourth valve 83 is connected to the gripper cylinder 37 and is adapted when energized to move the gripper to its engaged position. A fifth valve 84 is connected at its lower end to one end of the twister actuator motor 68 and at its upper end to the opposite end of the actuator motor 68. Each of the valves 79, 81, 83 and 84 is a four-way valve having two actuating solenoids marked respectively off and on, except that those on the valve 84 are marked twist and cut. The valve 82 is a three-way valve actuated by a single solenoid.

The several valves may be connected in an electrical control circuit, as illustrated in FIGURE 13, for automatic operation. As shown, line wires L1 and L2 are connected to a suitable source of power, with the line L1 being connected directly to one side of a timer 85 to run the timer motor therein. The line L1 is also connected to one side of each of the operating solenoids in the valves 79 to 84, as shown. The line L2 is connected through a master switch 86 and through a relay switch 87 to the other side of the operating motor in the timer 85 and also to a common terminal 88 in the timer. The terminal 88 is normally closed to a second terminal 89 and after a predetermined time of operation, this connec tion to the terminal 89 is opened and it is connected to a terminal 91 in the timer. The relay comprises an operating coil 92 connected at one side to the line L1 and at its other side through a start switch 93 to the line L2. The other side of the relay coil 92 is also connected through a holding switch 94 and an olf switch 95 which normally occupies the position shown to the line L2. When the start switch 93 is momentarily closed the relay coil 92 will be energized to close switches 87 and 94 thereby to start the timer and the relay will remain energized through the holding switch 94 until the off switch 95 is moved to its other position;

The timer contact 89 is connected to the operating solenoid for the feed switch 82 so that as soon as the timer is energized by closing of the start switch, the feed switch 82 will open and supply operating fluid to the feed motor 38 to turn it in a direction to feed wire into the wire guide and into a loop around the article to be tied. After a predetermined time interval is determined by the timer 85 to give the wire sufficient time to complete its loop with its end abutting against the plate 29 of the gripper, the timer will operate to de-energize the valve 82 and to complete a circuit to the contact 91.

The contact 91 is connected through a normally closed gripper switch 96 which is opened by the gripper when it moves to its closed position. The switch 96 completes a circuit to the lower or on solenoid of the valve 81 and to the lower or on solenoid of the gripper valve 83. Opening of the valve 83 will supply actuating fluid to the gripper cylinder 37 to move the gripper plunger into its gripping position to hold the end of the wire securely. At the same time, opening of the valve 81 will supply fluid to the other end of the feed motor 38 to reverse it and to drive the feed roller 24 in the reverse direction to draw the wire closely around the article. While the feed motor is operating in the reverse direction, the accumulator will take up the slack in the wire so that the spool 17 can continue to rotate under its own inertia. In normal operation of the machine, tying of an article is completed and wire feed for tying the next article is started before the accumulator has reached its full capacity so that the spool 17 can rotate continuously and substantially uniformly without requiring that it be stopped and started with all of the inertia which this involves.

After the feed roller 24 has exerted a predetermined tension on the wire, the switch 43 will be closed, as described above. The movable blade of this switch is connected through a resistor 97 and through a resistor 98 and capacitor 99 in parallel to the line L1. The switch 43 normally closes a circuit to a contact 101 which is connected through a rectifier 102 to the line L2. With the switch in its normal position, as shown in FIGURE 13, the capacitor 99 will therefore receive a charge and will be retained in charged position until the switch is moved. When the switch 43 is operated by exertion by predetermined tension on the wire drawing it around the article, it will close a circuit with a contact 103 which is connected to the off solenoid of the valve 81 and the on solenoid of the valve 79. The charge on the condenser will be dissipated through this circuit supplying a pulse to the off solenoid of the valve 81 and to the on solenoid of the valve 79. The valve 81 will therefore be closed quickly to stop the operation of the feed motor 38 while the valve 79 will be moved in a direction to energize the head cylinder 69 to move the twister head toward the wire and to energize the tension cylinder 51 in a direction to exert final tension on the wire. By the time the twister head has been moved to a twisting position relative to the wire, as shown in FIGURES 7 to 9, the final tensioning device will have drawn the wire up tightly around the article.

When the twister head moves forward into engagement with the wire it will engage and close a switch 104 which connects the line L2 to the twist solenoid of valve 84. Energizing of this solenoid will supply fluid to the actuator 68 in a direction to turn the sprocket 65 and the twister pinion clockwise, as seen in FIGURES 7 to 9. The gear ratio is preferably such that a single revolution of the motor 68 will twist the overlapping portions of the wire together sufiiciently to provide a strong connection therebetween although a greater or less movement could be provided for the motor, if desired. At the end of the twisting operation a one-way acting pawl 106 turned by the motor 68 will engage and operate a reversing switch 107. Closing of the switch 107 will energize the cutting solenoid on the valve 84 to reverse the actuator motor 68 and to turn the cam disc 71 in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in FIGURE 7. As explained above, this will operate the cutter plunger to cut the wire at the side of the twister head adjacent to the feed roller 24. On completion of its reverse operation, a second one-way acting pawl 106a on the motor 68 will engage and operate the off switch 95. Movement of the switch to its right-hand contact position, as shown in FIGURE 13, will de-energize the relay coil 92 and will complete circuits through the oif solenoid of the gripper valve 83 and the off solenoid of the valve 79. The gripper motor 37 will therefore be vented to release the gripper and the head cylinder 69 and tension cylinder 51 will be energized in the reverse direction to retract the twister head from the wire and to shift the gripper block toward the drive roller 24. In this condition, the parts are positioned for subsequent operation which can be initiated by again closing the starting switch 93. It will be noted that the one-way acting pawls 186 and 19611 will cause the respective switches 107 and 94 to be closed only temporarily toward the end of the movement of the actuating motor 68 in its opposite directions, respectively. Therefore, the switch 95 will be moved only temporarily as the pawl 106a passes it turning in a reverse direction and will be restored to its normal position as soon as the pawl has passed over it which it will due to inertia of the motor.

FIGURE 14 shows an alternative control circuit in which a second timer is substituted for the resistor capacitor rectifier circuit 97 192 of FIGURE 13. ()therwise, the two circuits are substantially similar and corresponding parts thereof are designated by the same reference numerals.

The second timer is connected directly to the line L1 and is adapted to be connected through the terminal 91 of the timer 85 and through a second contact on the gripper switch 96 when it is operated by movement of the gripper to the line L2. In this construction when the gripper switch 96 is operated, operation of the timer lit) is initiated and after a predetermined time interval it will establish a circuit between a terminal in connected through the switch to the line L2 and a terminal 112 leading to the off solenoid of the s't'itch 81 and the on solenoid of the switch '79. In this construction the tension responsive switch 43 is omitted and its function is performed by the second timer 110 which operates the off solenoid of the switch 81 after a predetermined time interval to stop reverse movement of the feed roller 24 and its motor 38 and to energize the 011" solenoid of the valve 7% to energize the cylinder 65 to move the twister head toward the wire and the tension cylinder 51 to apply final tension to the wire. Other than substitution of the timer for the tension responsive switch, the two control circuits operate in the same manner to carry out the same automatic cycle.

While two embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, it will be understood that they are illustrative only and not to be taken as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A tying machine comprising a support for an article to be tied, a wire guide loop encircling the support to guide a wire around the article, means to feed a wire around the loop to encircle an article therein and with the wire overlapping itself at one side of the article, means to pull the wire tight around the article, a twister head mounted for movement toward and away from the overlapping portions of the wire, reversible means to move the twister head toward the overlapping portions of the wire after the wire has been tightened around the article, a twister element on the twister head having an opening therein to receive the overlapping portions of the wire, reversible drive means operable independently of the reversible means connected to the twister element to turn it thereby to twist the overlapping portions of the wire together, control means operated by predetermined movement of the reversible drive means in one direction to reverse the reversible drive means, and control means operated by movement of the reversible drive means in the reverse direction to reverse the reversible means and move the twister head away from the wire.

2. A tying machine comprising a support for an article to be tied, a wire guide loop encircling the support to guide a wire around the article, means, to feed a wire around the loop to encircle an article therein and with the wire overlapping itself at one side of the article, means to pull the wire tight around the article, a twister head mounted for movement toward and away from the overlapping portions of the wire, reversible means to move the twister head toward the overlapping portions of the wire after the wire has been tightened around the article, a twister element on the twister head having an opening therein to receive the overlapping portions of the wire, reversible drive means connected to the twister element to turn it thereby to twist the overlapping portions of the wire together, control means operated by predetermined turning of the reversibie drive means in one direction to reverse the direction of movement of the reversible drive means, a cutter operated by movement of the reversible drive means in the reverse direction to cut the wire adjacent to the twisted portions thereof, and control means operated by reverse movement of the reversible drive means to reverse the reversible means and move the twister head away from the wire.

3. A tying machine comprising a support for an article to be tied, a wire guide loop encircling the support to guide a wire around the article, means, to feed a wire around the loop to encircle an article therein and with the wire overlapping itself at one side of the article,

means to pull the wire tight around the article, a twister head mounted for movement toward and away from the overlapping portions of the wire, power means to move the twister head toward the overlapping portions of the wire after the wire has been tightened around the article, a rotatable twister element on the twister head having a slot therein to receive the overlapping portions of the wire, reversible drive means, a one-way clutch connecting the reversible drive means to the twister element to turn it in one direction thereby to twist the overlapping portions of the wire together, control means to reverse the reversible drive means after a predetermined turning thereof in said one direction, a cutter operated by reverse turning of the reversible drive means to cut the wire adjacent to the twisted portions thereof, and control means operated by reverse turning of the reversible drive means to reverse the power means and move the twister head away from the wire.

4. A tying machine comprising a support for an article to be tied, a wire guide loop encircling the support, means to feed a wire around the loop to encircle an article therein with the end of the wire overlapping another portion thereof in side-by-side relationship at the bottom of the article, a clamp to grip the end of the wire, means to pull the wire back from the loop to draw it tightly around the article, a twister head mounted for horizontal movement beneath the article including a horizontally opening slot means to move the twister head horizontally in a direction to bring the overlapping portions of the wire into the slot, a twister element rotatably mounted in the head having a slot therein normally aligned with the slot in the twister head to receive the overlapping portions of the wire, reversible power means, a one-way clutch connecting the power means to the twister element to turn it in one direction to twist the overlapping portions of the wire together, control means operated by turning of the twister element in said one direction to reverse the power means, and control means operated by a predetermined reverse rotation of the power means to move the twister head away from the wire.

5. A tying machine comprising a support for an article to be tied, a wire guide loop encircling the support, means to feed a wire around the loop to encircle an article therein with the end of the wire overlapping another portion thereof in side-by-side relationship at the bottom of the article, a clamp to grip the end of the wire, means to pull the wire back from the loop to draw it tightly around the article, a twister head mounted for horizontal movement beneath the article including a horizontally opening slot means to move the twister head horizontally in a direction to bring the overlapping portions of the wire into the slot, at twister element rotatably mounted in the head having a slot therein normally aligned with the slot in the twister head to receive the overlapping portions of the wire, a reversible power means, a one-way clutch connectmg the power means to the twister element to turn it in one direction to twist the overlapping portions of the wire together, control means operated by turning of the twister element in said one direction to reverse the power means, a cutter blade movable along one side of the twister head to cut the wire between the twisted portion and the feed means, cam means operated by reverse turnmg of the power means to move the cutter blade in a cuttlng operation, and means operated by a predetermined reverse turning of the power means to move the twister head away from the wire.

6. A tying machine comprising a support for an article to be tied, a wire guide loop encircling the support, feed means frictionally engaging a wire to feed it around the loop to encircle an article therein with the end portion of the wire in overlapping side-by-side relationship with the inlet run of wire, a stop engageable with the end of the wire to limit feeding thereof, a clamp adjacent to the stop to grip the end portion of the wire and to bend the end of the wire toward the article, a twister head movable toward and away from the overlapping portions of the wire and including a rotatable twister element having a slot therein to receive the overlapping portions of the wire, power means connected to the twister head to move it toward the overlapping portions of the wire to position them in the slot in the twister element, reversible drive means for the twister element, control means operated by predetermined rotation of the drive means in one direction to reverse the drive means, and control means operable by the drive means after it has reversed to reverse the power means and move the twister head away from the wire.

7. A tying machine comprising a support for an article to be tied, a Wire guide loop encircling the support, feed means frictionally engaging a wire to feed it around the loop to encircle an article therein with the end portion of the wire in overlapping side-by-side relationship with the inlet run of wire, a stop engageable with the end of the wire to limit feeding thereof, a clamp adjacent to the stop to grip the end portion of the wire and to bend the end of the wire toward the article, a twister head movable toward and away from the overlapping portions of the wire and including a rotatable twister element having a. slot therein to receive the overlapping portions of the wire, power means connected to the twister head to move it toward the overlapping portions of the wire to position them in the slot in the twister element, reversible drive means, a one-way clutch connecting the drive means to the twister element, control means operated by predetermined rotation of the reversible drive means in one direction to reverse the reversible drive means, a cutter operated by reverse movement of the reversible drive means to cut the Wire adjacent to the twister head, and control means operated by reverse movement of the twister head to reverse the power means.

References Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 320,387 Notter June 16, 1885 1,342,981 Bluege June 8, 1920 1,369,219 Campbell Feb. 22, 1921 2,330,629 Schmidt Sept. 28, 1943 2,416,859 Vining et al Mar. 4, 1947 2,422,643 Kamper et al June 17, 1947 2,661,680 Leary Dec. 8, 1953 2,756,783 Osuch July 31, 1956 2,838,992 Demler June 17, 1958 2,922,359 BrOuse et a1 Ian. 26, 1960 2,959,118 Hager Nov. 8, 1960 3,041,961 Cechner et a1 July 3, 1962 3,060,841 Van de Bilt Oct. 30, 1962 

1. A TYING MACHINE COMPRISING A SUPPORT FOR AN ARTICLE TO BE TIED, A WIRE GUIDE LOOP ENCIRCLING THE SUPPORT TO GUIDE A WIRE AROUND THE ARTICLE, MEANS TO FEED A WIRE AROUND THE LOOP TO ENCIRCLE AN ARTICLE THEREIN AND WITH THE WIRE OVERLAPPING ITSELF AT ONE SIDE OF THE ARTICLE, MEANS TO PULL THE WIRE TIGHT AROUND THE ARTICLE, A TWISTER HEAD MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE OVERLAPPING PORTIONS OF THE WIRE, REVERSIBLE MEANS TO MOVE THE TWISTER HEAD TOWARD THE OVERLAPPING PORTIONS OF THE WIRE AFTER THE WIRE HAS BEEN TIGHTENED AROUND THE ARTICLE, A TWISTER ELEMENT ON THE TWISTER HEAD HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN TO RECEIVE THE OVERLAPPING PORTIONS OF THE WIRE, REVERSIBLE DRIVE MEANS OPERABLE INDEPENDENTLY OF THE REVERSIBLE MEANS CONNECTED TO THE TWISTER ELEMENT TO TURN IT THEREBY TO TWIST THE OVERLAPPING PORTIONS OF THE WIRE TOGETHER, CONTROL MEANS OPERATED BY PREDETERMINED MOVEMENT OF THE REVERSIBLE DRIVE MEANS, IN ONE DIRECTION TO REVERSE THE REVERSIBLE DRIVE MEANS, AND CONTROL MEANS OPERATED BY MOVEMENT OF THE REVERSIBLE DRIVE MEANS IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION TO REVERSE THE REVERSIBLE MEANS AND MOVE THE TWISTER HEAD AWAY FROM THE WIRE. 